Running USA wire 92, November 8, 2009

Fast facts on record-breaking field and historic 40th edition

The 40th ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2009 was a memorable and historic event with the first U.S. race champion since 1982 - Meb Keflezighi and the largest marathon field in the sport's history - 44,177 runners and 43,660 finishers (a 98.8% completion rate). Below is a summary of fast facts for the flagship marathon in 2009:

THE FIELD
All time high number of participants: 44,177 starters, 43,660 finishers
* Number of starters: 44,177
* Number of finishers: 43,660
* Largest number of marathon finishers in running history (previously 38,607 - at 2007 ING NYC Marathon; 5,053 more finishers than in 2007)
* Italy had the highest number of non-U.S. finishers: 3,093
* France was second with total finishers: 2,924
* Total countries represented: 110
* Total states represented: 50 plus DC, Puerto Rico and Guam
* Total finishers from the tri-state area: 12,661
* 102,486 people applied for the ING New York City Marathon 2009.
* Oldest Female Finisher: Yolande Marois, 84, 7:41:04
* Oldest Male Finisher: Peter Harangozo, 88, 7:53:02

PROFESSIONAL RACE SUMMARY
Winners
* Male Open race winner: Meb Keflezighi, USA, 2:09:15, personal record
* Female Open race winner: Derartu Tulu, Ethiopia, 2:28:52
* Male wheelchair race winner: Kurt Fearnley, Australia, 1:35:58
* Female wheelchair race winner: Edith Hunkeler, Switzerland, 1:58:15
* Male hand cycle race winner: Helene Hines, USA, 1:53:51
* Female hand cycle race winner: Dane Pilon, USA, 1:19:48

Achievements
* Meb Keflezighi became the first U.S. man to win the race since Alberto Salazar three-peated in 1982. Keflezighi has now finished in every podium position in New York: champion (2009), runner-up (2004) and third (2005). The two-time Olympian earned $200,000 in prize money and time bonuses.
* Derartu Tulu became the first Ethiopian woman to win New York, and is the only Olympic 10,000m gold medalist (male or female) to win here.
* Ludmila Petrova, 41, competed in her 9th ING NYC Marathon, taking her third podium finish.
* Even with the strongest men's fields ever in New York, six American men finished in the top 10, the best U.S. finish at NYC since 1979.

* Professional women's field had 7 personal bests:
-Buzunesh Deba, Ethiopia, 2:35:54
-Serkalem Biset Abrha, Ethiopia, 2:37:20
-Desiree Ficker, Austin, TX, 2:39:30
-Catha Mullen, New York, NY, 2:43:13
-Christine Ramsey, Baltimore, MD, 2:44:37
-Hirut Mandefro, Ethiopia, 2:47:03
-Rebecca Yau, New York, NY, 2:51:22

* Professional men's field had 8 personal bests:
-Meb Keflezighi, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 2:09:15
-Jorge Torres, Boulder, CO, 2:13:00
-Nick Arciniaga, Rochester Hills, MI, 2:13:46
-Mike Sayenko, Bellevue, WA, 2:16:38
-Allen Wagner, Huntington Valley, PA, 2:17:49
-Max King, Bend, OR, 2:19:11
-Pat Tarpy, Providence, RI, 2:20:43
-Bryan Morseman, Addison, NY, 2:23:50

Athlete Payments
* Prize money totaled $800,000, the largest in race history.

RACES WITHIN THE RACE WINNERS
* Alberto Salazar Award (top American finishers):
-Meb Keflezighi, 2:09:15
-Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 2:32:17
* Mayor's Cup Award: New York Fire Department (team scoring top 10 runners from each team)
* Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge: Allyson Hentel (Manhattan) 3:43:01

OTHER
* Abebe Bikila Award: Allan Steinfeld
* Lewis Rudin Award (top TFK Fund Raisers):
Male: Drew Swiss, bib 21803, 4:32:33, Armonk, NY
Female: Kathleen Olsen, bib 29612, 4:05:58, Port Washington, NY

CHARITY
* The race charities had over 6,700 runners raise more than $24 million dollars ($24 million - not a typo).

For more of the above including age group and charity breakdowns as well as broadcast and web numbers, go to: www.nyrrmedia.org

Is Boston next to end a U.S. winless streak?

With 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi (left, NYRR) ending the 27-year U.S. winless drought at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2009, now is a good time to look at the last U.S. winner at the top marathons. The following lists the last U.S. runner (male and female) to win a respective U.S. marathon plus the Olympic and World Championship Marathons.

For the men, their longest streak from the winner's circle is Honolulu and Boston (David Gordon in 1982 and Greg Meyer in 1983) and for the women, New York City (Miki Gorman in 1977); note, however, the U.S. marathon winners in 2009.

The last U.S. winner at the following marathons:

EVENT
Olympics
Frank Shorter (2:12:20), 1972 Munich
Joan Benoit (2:24:52), 1984 Los Angeles

World Championships
Mark Plaatjes (2:13:57), 1993 Stuttgart
no one yet (Marianne Dickerson, silver, 1983 Helsinki)

Boston
Greg Meyer (2:09:00), 1983
Lisa Weidenbach (2:34:06), 1985

New York City
Meb Keflezighi (2:09:15), 2009
Miki Gorman (2:43:10), 1977

Chicago
Khalid Khannouchi (2:05:56), 2002
Deena Kastor (2:21:25), 2005

Los Angeles
Paul Pilkington (2:12:13), 1994
Olga Appell (2:28:12), 1994

Houston
Sean Wade (2:24:43), 2003 (reduced prize money)
Paul Pilkington (2:11:13), 1990
Kelly Keane (2:32:27), 2005

Twin Cities
Jason Hartmann (2:12:09), 2009
Ilsa Paulson (2:31:49), 2009

Grandma's (MN)
Christopher Raabe (2:15:13), 2009
Mary Akor (2:36:52), 2009

Honolulu
David Gordon (2:15:30), 1982
Cyndie Welte (2:41:52), 1988

California International
Joe LeMay (2:13:55), 1999
Kristin Schwartz (2:38:16), 2000

The diverse committee made up of prominent race athletes, media, corporate executives and club directors charged with selecting the MarathonFoto / Road Race Management Race Director of the Year has named Kathleen Sherman, Director of the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race as its 2009 winner.

Sherman was honored at a reception at the Road Race Management Race Directors' meeting in Hollywood, FL on Thursday, November 5. The award is presented by the Running Network.

"We had our usual impressive field of well-qualified candidates, but Kathleen emerged as a consensus winner," said Road Race Management President, Phil Stewart. Described by Bill Rodgers as "the Gold Medal of race directing", the award has become one of the most prestigious honors in the sport of road racing.

The 2009 winner had already been working on her event for 14 years when Fred Lebow won the first Race Director of the Year award back in 1987. Sherman has a penchant for details, supervising and coordinating the loading, distribution, reloading and packing away of 21 large trucks, orders all the food and coordinates the post-race party. And as if that wasn't enough, after race morning set-up she serves as the Race Announcer! She also manages the negotiations and purchasing of the event's entire line of merchandise.

Her 37-year tenure started when 92 runners competed in the first race in 1973. This year 10,000 runners finished and thousands more wanted to but could not due to field-size limitations in Falmouth. Her nominator best summed up her role saying, "When she steps down, we'll have to find several people to replace her."

The MarathonFoto / Road Race Management Race Director of the Year award is made annually to recognize and promote excellence in race directing. Nominees were judged on several factors, including overall ability, reputation of race, creativity and organizational ability. Previous recipients have included: Rafael Acosta (World's Best 10K), Steve Bosley (Bolder Boulder), John Conley (Austin Marathon), Julia Emmons (AJC Peachtree Road Race), Ed Froehlich (Quad-City Times Bix 7), Chuck Galford (Cascade Run Off), Susan Harmeling (Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic), Jon Hughes (Disney Marathon), Bob Ingalls (Utica Boilermaker), Scott Keenan (Grandma's Marathon), Fred Lebow (ING New York City Marathon), Philip Lockwood (Steamboat Classic), Jim Marino (Blue Cross Broad Street Run), Dave McGillivray (Boston Marathon), Jeanette Park (Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic), Carey Pinkowski (Bank of America Chicago Marathon), Earle Reed (Utica Boilermaker), Bill Reef (Bolder Boulder), George Regan (Freihofer's Run for Women), Tracey Russell (Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K), Steve Shostrom (Steamboat Classic), Allan Steinfeld (ING New York City Marathon) and Harold and Louise Tinsley (Rocket City Marathon).

Film chronicles Fred Lebow, the mastermind of the New York City Marathon

On Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30pm, as part of the Reel Jewish Sports Film Series at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack, N.Y., there will be a special screening of the Fred Lebow movie "Run for Your Life". After the showing, there will be a panel discussion with Bill Rodgers (four-time New York City Marathon champion), Allan Steinfeld (former NYCM race director and president and CEO New York Road Runners), Bernie Cooper (former NYRR Chairman of the Board) and the film's director, Emmy nominated Judd Ehrlich.

"Run for Your Life" chronicles Fred Lebow and the creation and evolution of the New York City Marathon with archival footage and interviews with family members, Mayor Ed Koch, race champions Grete Waitz, Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar and others. Credited as the mastermind behind the New York City Marathon, Lebow fled his Orthodox home in war-torn Europe and found his calling when he brought together a group of runners for the first NYC Marathon in Central Park. In 1976, Lebow took the race through all five boroughs, uniting a divided city and sparking a world-wide running boom.

For more information, go to http://jewishsports.org/jewishsports/news.shtml or call (631) 462-9800 x125. Also visit: www.fredlebowmovie.com